Defending the human rights of those visiting the Clinique Droits Devant must take precedence over settling their legal situation. Empowerment is prioritized and the Clinique’s services are offered on a voluntary basis. Our approach aims, among other things, to respect people’s choices and to reinforce their abilities. All of the courses of action available to the judiciarized person to regularize his situation are exposed to him, including the possibility to do nothing. The maximum amount of tools and information is provided so that people exercise their freedom of choice.
Our work is based on alternative practices to judiciarization and on participative justice. Thus, the Clinique participates in conjunction with the Montreal Municipal Court to set up the dejudiciarization programs PAJIC (Programme d’accompagnement des personnes en situation d’itinérance–prosecutor) and PAPSI (Programme accompagnement des personnes en situation d’itinérance – fines collectors). The latter encourages making compensatory work agreements and agreements that are adapted to people’s financial situation.